ISS/SIC; 2013 newsletter december 01

Newsletter International Society of Surgery (ISS) Société Internationale de Chirurgie (SIC) December 2013

Welcome Message from ISS/SIC President

Nopadol Wora-Urai, President ISS/SIC

With its long history of over 100 years, the International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) is considered one of the most distinguished and prestigious international surgical societies in the world today. On the initiative of Belgian surgeons, Antoine Depage and his colleagues with their guests from France, Germany and Switzerland, an international surgical society, "La Société Internationale de Chirurgie" was established initially aiming at serving the progress of science by research and discussion. After the establishment of the Society in 1902 with its head-office in Belgium, the first international surgical meeting was held in Brussels three years later in 1905 and was chaired by a well known Swiss surgeon, Theodor Kocher. The Society had gone through difficulties before and during the Second World War. After the Second World War the Society became stronger and stronger with increasing number of members from all parts of the world. The Society’s well re-

ISW 2013 is over – goodbye and see you in Bangkok in 2015 again.

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cognized World Journal of Surgery was founded and was first published in 1977.

It is now rated among the top journals in surgery.

The ISS/SIC’s headquarters had been moved from Brussels to Basel, Switzerland in 1979. Also, the International Associa­tion of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES) was founded the same year as an Integrated Society of the ISS/SIC in 1979 at the Congress in San Francisco, followed by the founding of the International Association for the Surgery of Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care (IATSIC) as ISS/SIC Integrated Society in 1989 at the Congress in Toronto, the International Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition (IASMEN) in 1993 at the 35th World Congress of Surgery in Hong Kong, the Breast Surgery International (BSI) in 1999 in Vienna, the International Society for Digestive Surgery (ISDS) – founded as CICD in 1969 – joined in 2009 in Adelaide, and very recently the Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP) was founded in 2013 at the Helsinki Congress.

The ISS/SIC World Congress of Surgery (formerly International Surgical Week) has been held every two years in collaboration with its integrated societies, participating societies and national societies of the host country. The most recent one which was held in Helsinki, Finland had well over 2,000 participants from 81 countries around the world and was considered one of the most successful World Congresses. The next ISS/SIC congress, the 46th World Congress of Surgery will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand at the Bangkok Convention Centre at Centralworld from 23–27 August 2015. The Local Organizing Committee led by Professor Supakorn Rojananin, the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand and the ISS/SIC Executive Committee have determined to make this Bangkok Congress the most successful congress with a most up to date scientific program consisting of Stateof-the-Art lectures, live surgeries, plenary sessions, round table discussions, free paper and poster presentations. The Bangkok Convention Centre at Centralworld is one of the most modern and most convenient convention centres located in the city

centre of Bangkok. A rapid transportation from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport to the Congress venue by the airport rail link takes about half an hour.

Several sightseeing tours in and around Bangkok have been arranged for accompanying persons and guests. Pre- and post-Congress Tours in different parts of Thailand, for example, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Samui, Krabi, Ayuthya and Sukothai will also be arranged for those who would like to spend few more days before or after the Congress to explore the beauties and natural attractions of Thailand. A special trip to Sampran Riverside, formerly known as Rose Garden, on Wednesday late afternoon is one of the highlights of the congress social activities where all guests will enjoy a wonderful Thai night.

Occasionally, the International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) holds a joint scientific meeting with national surgical societies.

For example, ISS/SIC held a joint scientific meeting with the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka in 2010 and with the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand in 2006. On these occasions, the President of the ISS/ SIC and the Executive Committee members took an active role in supporting the scientific program and made a significant contribution to these surgical meetings.

During the past several years, ISS/SIC Integrated Societies have made a significant contribution to the progress of surgery in various fields. For example, the Definitive Surgical Trauma Care (DSTC) Course developed by the International Association for Trauma Surgery and Intensive Care (IATSIC) has been organized for surgeons facing the definitive care of patients with multiple injuries. The course has been introduced and disseminated worldwide and has been of great benefit to trauma surgeons and patients around the world. In the future other courses, seminars or symposia will also be organized and disseminated by other integrated societies as well.

Recently, the establishment of the ISSAcademy and ISS-Academy Education Foundation has been initiated by the former President of the ISS/SIC, Kenneth Boffard, and the Executive Committee.

The ISS-Academy is aiming at enhancing education in surgery in underdeveloped countries worldwide and also in countries in transition with the support by the con-

cerned pharmaceutical industry. The goal of organizing successful courses in various countries can be reached in collaboration with the Integrated Societies and the local surgical community. The financial support by and in cooperation with the industry are the key for successful teaching courses and this would be managed by the ISSAcademy Education Foundation. The details of some important issues concerning the establishment of the Academy and the Foundation are in progress of being worked out and should be finalized very soon. Then we can proceed with our aim at enhancing the advancement of surgery worldwide especially in the less developed and underdeveloped countries.

As an international surgical organization, the ISS/SIC Executive Committee has the determination to enhance surgical education and training, surgical practice, surgical research and surgical advancement in all fields of surgery around the world, especially in the less developed and developing countries. With support from our members and our surgical and non-surgical colleagues, we will definitely reach our goal at improving the standards of surgical patient care for the benefit of mankind around the world.

Nopadol Wora-Urai, President ISS/SIC Congress President, 46th World Congress of Surgery of ISS/SIC (ISW 2015)

Ballet dancer Minna Tervamäki and accordion artist Kimmo Pohjonen at Opening Ceremony ISW 2013

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The Disease Control Priorities (DCP3) Project: How ISS/SIC members can participate and benefit

Charles N. Mock, USA

By Nopadol Wora-Urai and Charles Mock This article discusses a major global health initiative, the Disease Control Priorities (DCP) Project, which is finally giving surgery the importance it is due. It would be good to make sure that the ISS/SIC is able to take advantage of this.

A significant proportion of the global burden of disease is from conditions that can be treated with surgery, including (among others): injury, obstetrical emergencies, cancer, congenital defects, and disabling conditions that can be easily cured by surgery, such as hernia and cataract.

The surgical community has felt justifiably frustrated that very few major global health initiatives have addressed these problems.

Fortunately, this neglect has been changing recently. Two inter-related major global health initiatives have been encompassing surgery. This includes the Global Burden of Disease Study, which was recently summarized in the first-ever triple edition of Lancet (2013 Dec 15;380[9859]). This study provided objective data on the huge burden of death and disability from surgically treatable diseases, such as 5 million deaths from injuries alone.

Closely related has been the Disease Control Priorities (DCP) Project, which stands as the most comprehensive global effort to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and potential population-wide effect of health interventions. It has involved the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Gates Foundation and several other notable groups. It has been very influential in setting the agenda for many international

agencies, donors, and country governments. A prior version of this in 2006 evaluated several hundred health interventions.

A group of basic, widely indicated surgical procedures (C-section, basic fracture care, laparotomy for most causes of acute abdomen, among others) was identified as costing approximately USD 50.- per DALY (disability adjusted life year) averted. This is in the same range as immunizations, bed nets for prevention of malaria, and several other interventions that are considered to be extremely cost-effective, are recommended for wide-scale dissemination, and are the focus of multi-billion dollar global programs. In other words, many aspects of surgical care are also among the best bargains in health care and should be much more widely promulgated globally, especially in the poorest countries.

These findings prompted the current version of the DCP Project (DCP3) to more comprehensively address surgical issues.

Out of 9 planned volumes under development, surgery is to be addressed in at least 3: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and an entire volume devoted to the concept of “essential surgery.� The goal in the latter is to identify those surgical procedures, capabilities, and service delivery methods that are the most cost-effective and are the best bargains in health and that really should be widely promoted globally. This is being done in part through extensive review of the cost-effectiveness literature and in part through new economic research. Part of this goal is to generate new information that will help move along the science; part is to provide evidence for subsequent advocacy.

The entire DCP3 project has, fortunately, closely involved the ISS/SIC. The DCP3 project has appointed an Advisory Committee to the Editors (ACE) of 30 global health leaders, including: high-level officials from the WHO, the World Bank, and several government agencies (Ministry of Health of Rwanda, the US National Institutes of Health, and the Ministry of Finance of South Africa); senior academics from multiple universities on almost every conti-

nent; the editor of Lancet; and many other equally prominent leaders. Included among these is one surgeon, the current President of ISS/SIC. Likewise, the surgery volume has six editors, including the current President of IATSIC. Many ISS/SIC members are serving as authors or peer reviewers of the 20 chapters. Preliminarily, the findings of the essential surgery component of the DCP3 project will strongly reinforce the goals of the ISS/SIC, providing important data that can be used for advocacy for increased attention to and investment in surgical care by international agencies, funders, and governments in countries at all economic levels.

We would like to promote greater collaboration between the ISS/SIC and the DCP3 project. One way that this could be accomplished is through greater involvement of ISS/SIC members in peer reviewing. The development of all aspects of the DCP3 project is an open, transparent process.

Drafts of chapters for all volumes are being posted on the web as they become available, with the intent of allowing anyone who wishes to provide comments, which the authors are expected to address in their final versions. We would thus encourage any interested ISS/SIC member to visit the DCP3 surgery website and read any of the draft chapters in development (www.dcp-3.org or http://www.dcp-3.org/ volume/9/essential-surgery). The period for public comments is anticipated to be open into early 2014.

In-depth reviews are welcomed, but not necessary (unless you wish). If you prefer, you may browse the chapters of relevance to your area of expertise or interest and provide whatever feedback or opinions you wish. By so doing, we can be assured that the influential recommendations that will emerge from the DCP3 project will reflect the opinions and ideals of the ISS/SIC membership. If you have questions on any of this, please look over the DCP3 website or feel free to contact Charles Mock at cmock@uw.edu.

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News from Secretary General ISS/SIC Honorary Members 2013

Jean-Claude Givel Secretary General ISS/SIC

First of all, I would like to congratulate and say a big thank you to all those who have been responsible for making the recent ISW 2013 in Helsinki such a successful event. Among these people, the Local Organizing Committee and its President Ari Leppäniemi, the Finnish Surgical Society with President Pauli Puolakkainen, the PCO Congrex team and the City of Helsinki deserve a very special mention.

Pauli Puolakkainen President FSS 2013

Ari Leppäniemi LOC President ISW 2013

At the General Assembly held during this biennial congress, important matters have been discussed and accepted. The new profiles of membership now allow trainees and non-surgical scientists to join the society. The Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP) has been accepted as the sixth ISS/SIC Integrated Society. The new designation of our congress, which will be from 2015 onwards renamed as the World Congress of Surgery (WCS), has also been strongly supported.

To replace the Past-President Ken Boffard (Johannesburg) and Councilor Dionysios Voros (Athens) who completed their terms in office, two new members have been elected to the Executive Committee, Doris Henne-Bruns from Ulm, Germany and Andrew Hill from Auckland, New Zea­land.

Doris HenneBruns, Germany new Councilor ISS/SIC

Andrew Hill, New Zealand new Councilor ISS/SIC

Nopadol Wora-Urai from Bangkok has been confirmed as the Society President 2013– 2015 and Marco Patti from Chicago is now the President elect. The presidents of the six integrated societies, who are ex officio members of the executive committee during their two years term have also been newly designated by their respective societies.

During the Opening Ceremony of the 45th congress of the society, ISW 2013, four Honorary members and three Prize winners have been awarded. Dorothea Liebermann-Meffert (Freiburg-im-Breisgau) as the first lady to receive the title, Jay Grosfeld (Indianapolis), Masaaki Kitajima (Tokyo) and Basil Pruitt (San Antonio) are the 2013 Honorary Members.

Dorothea LiebermannMeffert, Germany

Jay L. Grosfeld, USA

Masaki Kitajima, Japan

Basil A. Pruitt Jr., USA

Carlos Pellegrini (Seattle) won the ISS/ SIC Prize, Harald Tscherne (Hannover) the Robert Danis Prize and David Bergqvist (Uppsala) the René Leriche Prize.

Prize Winners 2013

Carlos A. Pellegrini, USA; Harald Tscherne, Germany; David Bergqvist, Sweden

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Awarding of Travel Scholars

Jay Grosfeld with ISS-Foundation Travel Scholars 2013

The first highlight of ISW 2013 on Monday morning was the presentation of the various Travel Scholars to the audience which will remain a memorable step in their future surgical career (see page 8).

ISS/SIC Presidential Address The ISS/SIC Presidential Address “A role of the ISS/SIC for global surgery: past and present” was given by ISS/SIC President G. Åkerström

Martin Allgöwer Lecture 2013 Immediately after the President’s address the most prestigious Session of the congress, the 6th ISS/SIC Martin Allgöwer Lecture was given. More than 500 delegates followed the highly sophisticated and intellectual session on “Surgery and computer sciences: inventing the future” given

by Jacques Marescaux from Strasbourg, France.

Göran Åkerström, Jacques Marescaux and Thomas Rüedi, Representative of Academia Raetica Chur ISS/SIC and Congress President Göran Åkerström

The Academia Raetica from Chur, Switzerland is thanked for their generous support.

Grey Turner Lecture 2013 The second highlight session on the ISS/ SIC Program was the Grey Turner Lecture on Thursday morning. This Lecture that was started in 1961 has a long-time tradition in ISS/SIC Congresses, has been given

by Lars Påhlman, Uppsala, Sweden. The subject on “Radiotherapy on rectal cancer” has attracted an audience of more than 500 delegates in the audience.

Jacques Marescaux, Martin Allgöwer Lecturer 2013

Lars Påhlman, Grey Turner Lecturer 2013

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WCS 2015 – the 46th World Congress of Surgery LOC & PCO Team Chariya and Sumate Sudasna, PCO; Supakorn Rojananin, President LOC; Nopadol Wora-Urai, Congress and Society President

Free Paper and Poster Prize Winners at ISW 2013 ISS/SIC Lloyd M. Nyhus Prize The global need for essential surgery: a proposed solution M. Cotton [1], J.A. Henry [2], R.H.S. Lane [3], C.E. Grimes [4], W.E.G. Thomas [5], J.-C. Givel [5], W. Gunn [3]; [1] National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, [2] Surgeons OverSeas, New York, USA, [3] International Federation of Surgical Colleges, Dublin, Ireland, [4] Epsom & St. Helier Hospitals, Surrey, UK, [5] International Surgical Society, Lupsingen, Switzerland ISS/SIC Poster Prize The effect of preoperative exercise on cardio-respiratory function and recovery after surgery: a systematic review D.P. Lemanu [1], P.P. Singh [1], A.D. MacCormick [1], B. Arroll [2], A.G. Hill [1]; [1] South Auckland Clinical School, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, [2] University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand – Presenting Author: Daniel Peter Lemanu, New Zealand

Society Matters We also have unfortunately received the letter of resignation of William E. G. Thomas (Sheffield), Dean of the ISS Academy. This has generated a real shock and it is an enormous loss for the newborn academy.

Bill Thomas is one of the best experts in the field of teaching surgery, both in the occidental and developing countries reality.

We will miss him a lot and it will be difficult to find a successor.

The months to come will be very busy.

It’s already now time to finalize the preparation of the 46th World Congress of Surgery, which will take place in Bangkok, August 23–27, 2015. The 2017 WCS, confirmed to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, also needs some attention, as four years ahead of time is the right moment to chose and book the main locations. In a nearer future, we are planning to organize new teaching activities under the ISS/SIC umbrella. The constitution of the society will also be modified to better adapt to the new reality of our profession, for the benefit of all our members.

Once more I would like to end this letter by inviting all of you to participate as much as you can in our activities. The first step would be a win-win answer to a simple question: what can we do for you and what can you do in your respective positions all around the world to help your society becoming more attractive and effective. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, to share your ideas or suggestions.

New and young surgeons and scientists, be it as ISS/SIC “stand-alone member” or as member in one of the six Integrated Societies and ISS/SIC are highly welcome.

Please encourage your colleagues who are not yet a member in ISS/SIC to join the ranks by completing the online application on www.iss-sic.com.

Further details about the various membership categories and privileges are given there as well. We hope to see the next period of two years happening under the motto “intercollaboration”!

Jean-Claude Givel Secretary General

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Report by the Editor in Chief WJS join the WJS as associate editors, starting January 1, 2014. Welcome Drs Pasieka and Sosa.

ment. With his knowledge and authority, we could not help but ask for his expert guidance on nearly every paper focusing on the appendix that came to the WJS. R. Andersson has reviewed some 101 papers since joining our editorial board.

John G. Hunter, Editor in Chief WJS

The World Journal of Surgery remains a dynamic, scientifically focused journal with a mission to bring the world of surgery together, to provide new information on the science and practice of surgery in the many diverse corners of our round world.

Our big news, of the last few months, is the addition of three new associate editors and a new integrated society. Over the past summer, Jacques Belghiti, a creative, talented and academically rigorous liver surgeon from Paris joined us to work with Reid Adams on the many hepatopancreatobiliary manuscripts we receive each year.

Janice Pasieka, Canada

Roland Andersson, Sweden

Julie Ann Sosa, USA

We are very proud to add the newest member of the ISS/SIC family of Integrated Societies to the masthead of the WJS. The Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP) dedicates itself to helping us understand the practice and provision of surgical care to low and middle income countries (LMIC’s). Not surprisingly, ASAP has assumed advocacy for provision of essential surgical and anesthesia care in LMIC’s to be one of its central missions.

Jacques Belghiti, France

Jerry Doherty, who has been the IAES appointed associate editor for endocrine surgery has handled over 1014 manuscripts in the 6 years that he has served the journal. We cannot express our gratitude to Jerry adequately in words, but since words are our ‘coin of the realm’, let me try. THANKS, JERRY! J. Doherty is passing the baton to two very talented members of the International Association of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES ) to shoulder the burden of the endocrine papers.

Janice Pasieka, from the University of Alberta, Canada and Julie Ann Sosa from Duke University in the US have agreed to

At ISW 2013, the WJS ran a very successful (and oversubscribed) writer’s workshop in which 72 students from around the world had one-on-one instruction from an editor of the WJS. This year we invited some guest faculty to join us from the Association of Academic Surgery, a group that put on a terrific career development course in conjunction with the ISDS and the WJS at ISW 2013 in Helsinki.

The WJS gives out three awards at ISW every other year. The Editor of Year award for 2012 went to Roland Andersson, from Jonkoping, Sweden. Prof Anderson is one of the world’s authorities on appendicitis, its diagnosis, and its manage-

The best papers from a two year period are awarded at ISW. In order to allow a maturation of citations and usage, we delay assigning the best paper by two years. Thus, the associate editors of the WJS chose two papers from 2010 and 2011 to receive the USD 2’000 award for paper of the year. These papers were: “Epidemiology of Traumatic Deaths: Comprehensive Population-Based Assessment”, from Newcastle, Australia (Authors: Julie Evans, Karlijin van Wessem, Debra McDougall, Kevin Lee, Timothy Lyons, and Zsolt Balogh) and “Is Breast Cancer the Same Disease in Asian and Western Countries?”, a consortium effort by several senior members of Breast Surgery International (Authors: Stanley Leong, Zhen Zhou Shen, Tse-Jia Liu, Gaurav Agarwal, Tomoo Tajima, Nam-Sun Paik, Kerstin Sandelin, Anna Derossis, Hiram Cody, and William Foulkes).

We have an exciting year coming up next year at the WJS. We are launching a new feature: Innovative Techniques in Surgery around the World. The description, from our Instructions to Authors is as follows: The WJS is interested in publishing high quality descriptions of innovative surgical techniques that have the potential to improve the quality or efficiency of care. While techniques with universal appeal are most sought after, novel techniques that allow broader access to care in resource chal-

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lenged environments are also desirable.

The successful manuscript will contain a detailed description of the technique and be richly illustrated with figures, and/or video. Line drawings are much superior to intraoperative photos, generally. A brief description of the authors experience with

the technique should also be included, if possible. Qualifying manuscripts should be less than 1’250 words, have no more than 3 authors, have no more than 5 references, and no more than 8 figures/video segments.

From the WJS office, Laura Shearer, Yvonne Chan, and myself, John Hunter wish you a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year!

John G. Hunter Editor in Chief, WJS

ISS/SIC-Foundation Report-Fall 2013 Helsinki. Recipients were notified by March 31, 2013 and all subsequently attended the ISW 2013 meeting.

The recipients and their city and country of origin are:

Jay L. Grosfeld, Secretary ISS-Foundation

ISS/SIC-Foundation (Chicago) Travel Scholar Awards 2013 Thirty-six applications for ISS-F Travel scholar awards were received and evaluated by the Selection Committee. Ten individuals were selected to attend ISW 2013 in

• Pramodh C Chandrasinghe, Nugegonda, Sri Lanka • Adam Gyedu, Kumasi, Ghana • Dinar Kaliyeva, Karaganda, Kazakstan • Egan Kalmykov, Dushnbe, Tajikstan • Jianhui Li, Hangzhou, PR China • Jose G. Olunyk, Porto Alegre, Brazil • Vijay Ramachandran, Mangalore, India • Denys Skoryi, Kharkiv, Ukraine • Chun Chieh Yeh, Taichung, Taiwan • Haiyang Zhou, Shanghai, PR China

Each of the award winners received a stipend of USD 3’000.- at the Helsinki meeting. Award recipients had their registration and Helsinki night fees waived.

They attended a welcoming reception before the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, August 25, 2013 and were formally introduced to and welcomed by the ISS/ SIC and Foundation Leadership. The Travel Scholars were introduced to the participants at the general meeting prior to the President’s Lecture and received their award certificates. LOC President Ari Leppäniemi and the local Helsinki host committee arranged for the Award recipients to visit surgical services at local Finnish Hospitals. Award recipients were requested to submit a written report con-

ISS-F Travel Scholars at ISW 2013 with ISS/SIC officers Göran Åkerström, Jay L. Grosfeld, Kenneth D. Boffard, Jean-Claude Givel, Sats S. Pillay, Ari Leppäniemi and Thai Travel Scholar Doon Sa-nguanraksa (first row, second from left)

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cerning their experience at the end of the meeting.

The ISS-Foundation has set a standard in establishing the Travel Scholar award program. Using this program as a guideline, the Japan Chapter of the ISS provided funds for 5 Japanese travel scholars, the Australian and Thai chapters each funded one travel scholar and the Breast Surgery International group funded 8 additional Travel scholars to attend ISW 2013. All of these award recipients were invited to participate in the Sunday reception and were formally recognized on Monday morning prior to the President’s lecture.

Special Donor Recognition Support of the ISS-Foundation Chicago mainly comes from donations from the membership. We are grateful to those members that have graciously contributed to the activities of the Foundation. Without this support the Travel Scholar program would not be possible. The ISS-Foun­ dation is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charitable organization. Therefore, gifts to the Foundation are tax exempt to the extent permitted by law.

We are especially appreciative of those individuals who have provided substantial gifts to the Foundation. To recognize their generosity, we have established special levels of giving.

• ISSF Martin Allgöwer Benefactors (USD 20’000.- and up) • ISSF Theodor Kocher Benefactors (USD 10’000.- and up)

ISSF Board of Directors At the ISW 2013 meeting, Board Members Kenneth Boffard and Stephen Deane completed their terms on the board. We thank them for their invaluable service to the ISSF. ISS/SIC Past-President Göran Akerström became the ISSF-President and Nopadol Wora-Urai the new ISS/SIC President will remain an active Board Member.

Marco Patti will join the Board as ISS/SIC President elect and Polly Cheung (Hong Kong, China) will join the board representing BSI. Jay L. Grosfeld Secretary-Treasurer ISSF

News by IAES

Chen-Hsen Lee, President IAES

Geoffrey B. Thompson, Secretary IAES

The IAES had a wonderful program in Helsinki during International Surgical Week.

It was extremely well attended, with over 150 registrants and 200 attendees at the banquet. We are indebted to Caj Haglund and his team for the organization of the local venues and the successful pre-Congress course on Saturday.

demy for teaching and humanitarian efforts around the globe.

Chen-Hsen Lee from Taiwan took over as the new IAES President for the period 2013 to 2015. We are deeply indebted to Rob Udelsman for all of his efforts and guidance as President of the IAES these past two years. Among other projects, Rob has made tremendous contributions to the future organization of the ISS Aca-

Michael Brauckhoff from Bergen, Norway, will replace Rob Parkyn, whose term on the Executive Council ended this year.

Rob Parkyn has done an outstanding job as the Director of INTEREST, with conferences having taken place in Malaysia (2 meetings), and to take place in India and Sri Lanka. We have asked Rob to stay on as Ex Officio member of the Council so that he might continue his outstanding leadership with the INTEREST program. Rob will also represent us in the development and maintenance of the ISS Academy, as this endeavor moves forward. In addition

to Chen-Hsen Lee, Geoffrey Thompson will continue on as Secretary-Treasurer.

The following individuals will remain on the Executive Council: Herb Chen, Mete Düren, Barney Harrison, Per Hellman, Akira Miyauchi, Nancy Perrier, and Greg Randolph. Five of these individuals will finish their term in 2015, and we will be seeking nominations from the general membership with regard to Council positions, Secretary-Treasurer, and PresidentElect. We are most pleased to announce that Jean-François Henry from Marseille, France, was elected President-Elect and will represent us at the 46 th World Congress of Surgery in Bangkok. Also of note, Rob Parkyn from Australia, in addition to his other responsibilities, was nominated as Vice-President from the IAES to the World Congress in 2015. Since the last meeting in Yokohama, we have added 42 new members from 13 countries.

Rob Udelsman gave an outstanding Presidential Address on the origins of the IAES and its founder, Peter Heimann. To add to the significance of this event, seven members of the Heimann family were present

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both at Rob’s lecture and at our banquet.

John Bilezikian was the Peter Heimann lecturer, and he gave a fabulous talk on primary hyperparathyroidism. The three Novartis-sponsored luncheon sessions were well received, with over 200 attendees on each of the three days. We also had outstanding contributions from William Young and Woong Youn Chung, who gave the two State-of-the-Art lectures. We had a total of 40 outstanding oral presentations and 48 excellent posters. Prizes for best clinical paper and poster, as well as best basic science paper and poster were awarded to: Andreas Muth, Shelto Kruijff, John Kugelberg, and Christina Volpe.

Fifteen travel scholarships were awarded for the 2013 Congress, and the

winners are as follows: Ritish Agrawal, India; James Broome, USA; Priya Dedhia, USA; Helen Miller, UK; Sapna Nagar, USA; Naotyoshi Onoda, Japan; Puthenveetil Pradeep, India; Lars Rolighed, Denmark; Peter Truran, UK; and Kai Pun Wong, Hong Kong for the 1500 USD award and Marcin Barczynski, Poland; Sunil Barua, India; Kevin Chu, Hong Kong; Ivan Markovic, Serbia, and Denis Wirowski, Germany for the 1000 USD award.

We have already begun preparation for the meeting in 2015 in Bangkok. Online publication of the program will occur in June 2014. The abstract deadline for oral presentations and posters will be January 5, 2015. February 2015 will mark the end of

the grading process, and March 31 will be the deadline for awarding of travel scholarships.

For those wishing IAES support from INTEREST for education in developing countries, please submit your application to our Council Coordinator, Gerard Doherty, at the following e-mail address: dohertyg@BU.edu. Applications can be found on the IAES web site.

We have an exciting venue planned for the World Congress in Bangkok in 2015 and look forward to participation from all IAES members.

Geoffrey B. Thompson Secretary IAES

News by IATSIC but good representation for surgical critical care and emergency surgery as well.

A joint session to determine the best oral presentation was very well attended and the prestigious AAST/IATSIC Award went to the excellent paper

Selman Uranüs, past President IATSIC

A few weeks ago, a wonderful week and a terrific congress came to an end. Many of you took advantage of the opportunity to come to Helsinki but for the stay-athomes, here is a short summary of the highlights.

The International Surgical Week 2013 in Helsinki began on Sunday, August 25, with an impressive and enjoyable opening ceremony at the meeting venue, the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre. We immediately felt comfortable in a setting that was exactly what one would expect in Finland: efficient, streamlined, light and airy. The reception with cocktails and finger food after the ceremony was a nice opportunity for meeting and greeting.

The IATSIC program comprised three modules with a main emphasis on trauma

Benchmarking of trauma care worldwide: the potential value of an International Trauma Data Bank (ITDB). Adil Haider (USA) Award winners of the IATSIC oral paper presentations were: First place: Compliance with the WHO/ IATSIC trauma care guidelines in district hospitals in a low-income country: a regional prospective survey in Cameroon. Alain Chichom Mefire (Cameroon) Second place: Delayed side-to-side repair of peripheral nerve. Henrikki Ronkko (Finland) Award winners of the IATSIC poster session were: First place: Intrathecal administration of bone marrow mononuclear cells for the treatment of spinal injury: a clinical trial.

Toshio Nakatani (Japan)

Second place: Are inclusion criteria for unplanned intubations (UI) in the trauma quality improvement program (TQIP) overly inclusive? Boris Srvantstian (USA) Other poster and free paper awards showed the interest and high level at which the younger generation is working. The invited speakers from all over the world provided for a very high level program.

An innovation at the Helsinki meeting was an immediate hit: the “Sunrise Video Sessions.” Capacity crowds were willing to roll out of bed for the presentations starting at 7:15 hrs and were not disappointed in the videos on trauma and acute surgery, since they kept on coming back till the very last day.

A further highlight with perhaps even greater overall impact was the “International Leaders’ Session on Global Trauma and Humanitarian Surgery Program”, organized to discuss the role of the ISS and integrated societies but especially IATSIC together with the new member society, the Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP).

Throughout the entire congress, which was attended by more than 2100 dele-

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gates from all over the world, we enjoyed the hospitality of the Finnish people, their capital city Helsinki and most especially Ari Leppäniemi.

The International Society of Surgery and IATSIC did themselves proud at this congress. We can now begin to look forward to the next meeting in Bangkok in 2015, this time under the banner of “World Congress of Surgery”, to be borne by President Nopadol Wora-Urai.

Now the time has come for me to thank the IATSIC membership for entrusting me with the Presidency for the past two years.

During that time, it was exciting to head this distinguished Society and work with fantastic people from all over the world.

IATSIC Officers:

With best personal regards, Selman Uranüs Past President IATSIC

Charles N. Mock President

Manjul Joshipura President elect

Selman Uranüs Past President

Tina Gaarder Secretary/Treasurer

According to IATSIC tradition, at the end of the International Surgical Week, Charles Mock was inaugurated as President of the Society for the period of 2013–2015.

Manjul Joshipura was voted in as President-Elect, and Tina Gaarder carries on as Secretary General and Treasurer.

News by IASMEN of Digestive Surgeons, and the Brazilian Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

My key interest in research is the ACERTO project, which is a perioperative care model based on the ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocol and of course is focused on the recovery of surgical patients.

Jose E. Aguilar-Nascimento, President IASMEN

Dear IASMEN member I have the honor and pleasure to serve as the new IASMEN President having been appointed at the last Congress in Finland in August. Just a bit about myself: I am a colorectal surgeon from Cuiaba, Brazil, and until recently I was the Chairman and Professor of Surgery at the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT). This year I moved to a new position and became the Director of the University of Varzea Grande (UNIVAG) Medical School. I am also a member of some of the prestigious Brazilian Societies including the Brazilian College of Surgeons, the Brazilian Society of Colo-Proctology, the Brazilian Society

Professor Olle Ljungqvist, our past and twice President of IASMEN, has done a great job and under his leadership, IASMEN has made an important bond with another partner society, the ISDS. Along with that IASMEN has focused on the recovery of surgical patients through the new trends in surgical metabolism and nutrition. Our sessions at the ISW 2013 in Helsinki were focused on that strategic field for the surgeon and we had the pleasure to see more attending surgeons than at the last Congress in Yokohama. This is quite important and makes us feel that we are travelling in the right direction.

Along with me as IASMEN President for the next two years we have a group of respected surgeons from all continents of our planet. Professor Takashi Higashigushi

from Japan, with a special task to manage memberships, and Dr. Steven E Wolf from USA were elected as Vice-Presidents. Professor Dileep Lobo from the UK is our new Secretary Treasurer and Professor Andrew Hill from Australia is the President Elect for the next term and also the IASMEN representative in the ISS/SIC Scientific Committee for planning the scientific, program for the WCS 2015 in Bangkok. Dr. Joji Kotani and Dr. Yoshifumi Takeyama from Japan and Dr. Mathias Soop from the UK were elected as Educational Committee Members. Together with this group, our Past president Professor Olle Ljungqvist from Sweden will continue to help with the special mission to work on external relations along with Professor Harumasa Ohyanagi from Japan.

A highlight of our last congress was the introduction of the Graham Hill Research prize, named in the honor and memory of one of the true leaders in nutrition and Metabolism in surgery, Professor Graham Hill, New Zealand who passed away earlier this year. The Graham Hill Prize that IASMEN awards for the best paper presented at ISW was awarded during

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the Helsinki Congress to two excellent papers (ex aequo): 1 Significance of visceral fat volume as a risk factor for surgical site infection associated with hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery. Authors: Y. Takeyama, T. Yasuda, Y. Nakata, M. Yamasaki, M. Araki, M. Matsumoto, and T. Nakai, from Japan

2 Randomised clinical trial of goal-directed fluid therapy within an enhanced recovery protocol for elective colectomy.

Authors: S. Srinivasa, M.H.G. Taylor, P. Singh, T. Yu, M. Soop, and A.G. Hill, from New Zealand.

Our most important goal for the next two years is to increase the number of IASMEN members and to build a strong scientific program for the next Congress in 2015 in Bangkok. We also will aim at enlarging our

scientific and social relationships with ISDS and with the ERAS Society. We will do our best to keep you informed and updated regarding the forthcoming Bangkok Congress. If you have questions or need to be informed of anything about IASMEN please do not hesitate to contact me at my email (aguilar@terra.com.br). I will be happy to help you at IASMEN. Your serving President Jose Eduardo de Aguilar-Nascimento

News by BSI

Sarkis H. Meterissian President BSI

In Helsinki I had the distinct honor of becoming the next President of BSI. I am proud of being the President of this wonderful organization which is as healthy and inte-

resting as it has ever been. This is thanks to the wonderful leadership of Past-President Polly Cheung who, apart from many other accomplishments, performed the first members’ survey in the history of BSI. I will be able to use the results of this survey to strategically plan the next two years. One must also recognize Cheng-Har Yip, Ines Buccimazza and Omar Youssef.

Cheng-Har put together the wonderful program which attracted a standing room only crowd during most of the meeting. Ines has deftly managed our finances and, thanks to her, BSI’s financial situation has not been healthier. Finally, Omar has maintai-

ned our website, continued increasing our membership and kept an on-going communication with our members.

What does the future hold for BSI? Firstly, I am very excited about World Congress of Surgery WCS 2015 (formerly ISW). It will be held in Bangkok and the local organizing committee appears well-organized and committed to putting on a great program.

The BSI Program Chair is Shawna Willey.

Shawna is well-known internationally and is a leader in breast surgery in North America. I am looking forward to working with her and producing a great and exciting

BSI Council

First row, left to right: Owen Ung, Polly Cheung, Cheng-Har Yip, Kerstin Sandelin, S.V.S. Deo; Second row, left to right: Ines Buccimazza, Seigo Nakamura, Sarkis H. Meterissian, Elisabeth E. Elder, Omar Youssef, Mickael Hartman; Missing on Picture: Tiina A. Jahkola, Shawna Willey

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program. Some aspects that we plan on including in the program are: breast surgery educational programs, quality indicators of breast cancer care, benign breast diseases, molecular biology of breast cancer and advances in chemotherapeutic and radiotherapy options. We will also likely offer both an oncoplastic and ultrasound course in collaboration with the Thai Breast Society. Second, the goal of Council is to increase the membership in BSI. I would like to welcome 3 new council members, Owen Ung and Elisabeth Elder from Australia and Mikael Hartman

from Singapore whom, I believe, will add a lot of experience and enthusiasm to BSI. Third, we will be continuing our outreach programs and adding a few. Some of the international educational programs that BSI will contribute to will take place in Malaysia, India and Turkey. The purpose of BSI is to contribute to the improvement of breast cancer care internationally and such programs certainly contribute to this initiative.

me about your ideas and suggestions. If we can contribute to your course or local workshop we would be happy to. If you have a suggestion for WCS 2015 please send it along to Shawna. BSI’s purpose is educational and the improvement of breast health and we must work together towards these goals.

Sarkis Meterissian President BSI

Thus these are exciting times for BSI and I encourage all current and prospective members to communicate directly with

BSI Prizes at ISW 2013

BSI Free Paper Prize Winner Danielle J. Fitzpatrick, Australia

BSI Poster Prize Winner Gurusamy Umamaheswaran, India

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ISDS Newsletter

Tonia Young-Fadok, President ISDS

Dear ISDS Members, Friends and Colleagues In August, ISDS participated in International Surgical Week 2013, in Helsinki, Finland.

What a wonderful meeting! The program was vibrant and contained something of interest for surgeons of all levels of experience. Many attendees commented on the striking level of enthusiasm exhibited in the program and the meeting in general. Our hosts demonstrated exceptional warmth and hospitality and we send a heartfelt thanks to Ari Leppäniemi, President of the

Local Organizing Committee, and Pauli Puolakkainen, President of the Finnish Society of Surgery, who went out of their way to ensure that ISDS attendees had the best experience possible of their beautiful city.

ISDS showcased a very broad program addressing all aspects of the alimentary tract. In addition, we partnered with one of our sister societies, IASMEN to collaborate on two sessions, one addressing the science behind enhanced recovery programs and the other on metabolic surgery.

The Executive Committee said thank you to outgoing President Prof. Marco Patti who has been a powerful force behind the success of this last meeting. We also paid our thanks to Prof. Wai Lun Law for his work as Secretary General, and to Prof. Gerry Fried for his term as Treasurer.

We welcomed a few familiar faces to new p o s i ti o n s w i th i n th e S o c i e t y, w i th Prof. Alberto Ferreres as President Elect, Prof. Alessandro Fichera as Secretary General and Prof. Dieter Hahnloser as Treasurer. New enthusias­

tic members were introduced and welcomed to the committee. We also voted to form our first new subcommittee, for Membership and Program issues, under the direction of Prof. Seigo Kitano and Prof. Han-Kwang Yang. As a group we are committed to encouraging the application of new members to this invigorated society, and to developing the next meeting program.

This past August was the last International Surgical Week. But fear not, the biennial meetings will continue but by a different name – the World Congress of Surgery, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2015.

Warm regards to all my surgical colleagues.

Tonia M. Young-Fadok President ISDS

News from ASAP

Kelly McQueen, President ASAP

The Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP) became the 6 th Integrated Society of the International Society of Surgery on August 29, 2013 in Helsinki, Finland. The group was founded in 2007 as the Burden of Surgical Disease Working Group with a focus of research and advocacy for surgery and safe anesthesia within the global health agenda.

Since 2007, ASAP has grown from 40 members to more than 450 surgeons, an-

esthesiologists, obstetricians, economists and public health specialists. The annual ASAP meeting has evolved into a forum for advocacy, strategy and collaboration. Through development of ten working groups encompassing such critical issues as quality, advocacy, metrics, anesthesia, and obstetrics the group maintains cohesion and momentum on its agenda between meetings. Collectively, more than 100 peer reviewed articles have been published to date by ASAP and its members maintain an international presence as invited speakers at high profile meetings in surgery, anesthesia, and public health. This year, the ASAP has concentrated on two important initiatives, the World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution for Safe Anesthesia and Surgery and the Perioperative Mortality Rate (POMR), both aimed at improving patient safety and access to surgical care in every country.

At the August 2013 ISS/SIC International Surgical Week in Helsinki, Finland, ASAP contributed two plenary sessions on the global burden of surgical disease and the role of safe anesthesia and surgery in global health. At the inaugural ASAP meeting as an integrated society the officers were installed including Dr. Kelly McQueen as President, Dr. Steven Bickler as Vice President, Dr. Kathleen Casey as Secretary, Dr. Russell Gruen as Treasurer and Dr. David Watters as Immediate Past President (hon). The meeting also provided a meaningful forum of communication and collaboration with ISS/SIC Members across all of the integrated societies on topics of mutual interest, particularly on the WHA resolution and the POMR. The ASAP is very pleased to join the ISS/SIC as an Integrated Society.

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ASAP Inaugural Meeting at ISW 2013 in Helsinki – Kathleen Casey, David Watters, Steven Bickler, Kelly McQueen, Russel Gruen

In addition to the biennial ISS/SIC World Congress of Surgery, ASAP will continue its practice of annual meetings by holding meetings in even numbered years with cohosting institutions around the globe. The previously scheduled 2013 ASAP annual meeting was co-hosted by Duke University and held September 6–8, 2013 in RaleighDurham, North Carolina, US. In 2014 the annual meeting will be held in Singapore, hosted by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australia New Zealand College of Anaesthetists from May 5–9, 2014. In 2015 the ASAP will participate in the 46th World Congress of Surgery (formerly ISW) in Bangkok, Thailand and is considering topics on patient safety, essential surgery for low-income countries, the post-2015 development goals, and the perioperative mortality rate.

the other integrated societies to improve the access, quality and safety of surgical care in all settings. We invite existing ISS/ SIC members to consider co-membership in ASAP (http://www.iss-sic.com/index.php?id=67) and participation in ASAP annual meetings or combined forums at the ISS/SIC World Congress of Surgery. Please feel welcome to contact the ASAP leadership or Chris Storz for more information.

K.A. Kelly McQueen President ASAP

ASAP is thrilled to be an Integrated So­ciety of the ISS/SIC as the work that we do dovetails so beautifully with that of the ISS/ SIC and the other five Integrated Societies.

We look forward to working in concert with

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Did you know…..?

A founding father of the International Society of Surgery: Antoine Depage (1862–1925) finishing his PhD thesis2 in 1890 he soon became involved in the foundation of the Belgian Society of Surgery in 18923.

by Robrecht van Hee, Belgium

The International Society of Surgery / Socié­té Internationale de Chirurgie was founded in Brussels in 1902 on the main initiative of the Belgian surgeon Antoine Depage.

Antoine was the son of Fréderic Depage, a Flemish farmer and burgomaster of Boitsfort, a small town in the neighbourhood of Brussels.

Born November 28th, 1862, he studied at the Atheneum of Tournai and later, at the age of 18, at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) for his medical studies1. Influenced and coached by Paul Héger (1846–1925), professor of physiology and pathologic anatomy, and later by Jules Thiriar (1846– 1913), professor of surgery, he decided to become a surgeon. After graduation in 1887 he made a peregrinatio academica in Eastern Europe, to Leipzig where he met Carl Ludwig (1816–1895), to Prague where he visited Carl Thiersch (1822–1895) and Carl Gussenbauer (1842–1903) and finally to Vienna where he saw the great master Theodor Billroth (1829–1894) operate.

Returning to Belgium after two years, he first engaged in experimental research with Edmond Destrée (1851–1901) and created a clinical research laboratory in the St.Peter hospital in Brussels. Eager to practice surgery, he founded a private surgical hospital in the city, together with his friends Jean Verhoogen (1864–1950) and A. Slosse, and his previous mentor Jules Thiriar. After 1 2

For a biography on Depage, see Van Hee 2007.

See also Depage’s biography, written by his son Henri and published in 1956.

Entitled ‘Contribution à l’Etude de la Tuberculose Osseuse’.

His surgical career brought him in several hospitals in Belgian’s capital: the Infirmary Hospice in 1895, the St. John hospital in 1899 where he became ‘chargé de cours’ of the Brussels University, and the St. Peter hospital in 1904 where he was appointed head of the surgical department.

Together with his wife Marie Picard (1872– 1915) he owned a luxurious house in the Avenue Louise in Brussels and got acquainted with multiple great officials and high society members of the country4.

He was a prolific scientific writer, publishing more than 100 articles in Belgian and international journals between 1890 and 1914.

It was in the Belgian Society of Surgery that in 1901 grew the idea to enlarge the national and regional surgical meetings, and lay the foundations of an international institution, which would contribute in exchanging ideas concerning surgical techniques and pathologies 5. After the real surgical explosion of the last decennia of the 19th century6, operative results were so dramatically improved, that knowledge had to be shared in the profit of all patients worldwide.

The decision to found the SIC was officially taken in Brussels September 9th 1902 during an extraordinary session of the Congress of the Belgian Society of Surgery under the presidency of Charles Willems (1859–1930)7.

Several colleagues from the international surgical community were invited to attend this extraordinary session and the endeavour proved successful.

3 4 5 6 7

For the special Issue of the Centenary of the Royal Belgian Society of Surgery in 1993, see Van Hee & Mendes da Costa 1993.

See Van Hee 2002.

See Van Hee 2001.

See Van Hee 1993.

For a biography on Willems, see our recent article in the World J.Surg. (De Broe et al. 2013).

There had been analogous medical initiatives in the past. Since 1850 an International Medical Congress had been held every three years. Between 1895 and 1900 several trials had been made by German (Prof.

Bergmann), French (Prof. Tuffier), American (Prof. Halsted) and Belgian surgeons in order to set up such a surgical international society: all were unsuccessful. This time proved the right moment, not the least due to the persuasive character of Antoine Depage.

The proposal was accepted by a large majority and induced the creation of a preliminary International Committee, which would elaborate the Statutes and put forward date and place of a first International Congress.

Under the presidency of Theodor Kocher (1841–1917) this first congress took place in Brussels in 1905. The whole organisation and secretariat of the Congress were in the hands of Antoine Depage, who that year had also been elected President of the Belgian Society of Surgery.

At this first meeting of the Société Internationale de Chirurgie 632 delegates were present from all over the world, including virtually all European countries, the USA, Canada and Egypt.

At this congress one could encounter all great names of the surgical world of that time: Joaquin Albarran (1860–1912), Harvey Cushing (1869–1939), Maurice Favre (1876–1954), William Halsted (1852– 1922), Henri Hartmann (1860 –1952), Theodor Kocher (1841–1917), Albin Lambotte (1866–1955), Charles McBurney (1845–1914), Auguste Nélaton (1807–1873), Paul Reclus (1847–1914), Jacques Reverdin (1842–1908), Pierre Roux (1853–1933), Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1875–1951), Friedrich Trendelenburg (1884–1924) and so many others. All were present at this congress!

Antoine Depage, who had been nominated as first secretary of the Société Internatio­ nale de Chirurgie, was also the thriving

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force in the organisation of the next two international congresses, equally held in Brussels, respectively in 1908 and 1911.

The congress of 1908 was opened by Prince Albert, nephew of King Leopold II and later King of the Belgians, greatgrandfather of the recently new King Philip of Belgium.

During the Balkan War of 1912 Depage set up an ‘ambulance’ to be sent to Istanbul.

This included not only medical and nursing personnel, surgical instruments and bandages, but also the necessary equipment to install a military hospital for wounded soldiers in the barracks of Tack-Kichla near Istanbul. There Depage operated many victims of the Tchataldja front. He got persuaded of the necessity to set up medical posts nearer to the front line, an idea he would later use during the First World War. In April 1914, just a few months before the outbreak of World War I, the Société Internationale de Chirurgie for the first time crossed the Atlantic to hold its fourth congress in the USA. Again Depage stood at the forefront of the Society: he had been nominated President of the Congress and devoted his inaugural lecture to his experiences in the Balkan War. His American colleagues organized a successful 12 days tour throughout the USA to visit several outstanding hospitals in the country.

Queen Elisabeth between the famous author Emile Verhaeren (left) and Dr. A. Depage (right) at the seashore of De Panne during WW I.

Dr. Depage (standing) and King Albert I (sitting) in De Panne during WW I.

had treated young King Albert’s fracture of the forearm in February 1914, just before he left for the fourth SIC/ISS congress in New York.

When the Belgians and Allied troops had to retreat in October 1914, the front was established behind the river IJzer in West-

Flanders. Again Depage was asked to set up a hospital, this time in a seaside hotel in De Panne, called ‘L’Océan’. It would become one of the most leading hospitals for the four years of the ‘Great War’.

The work and merits of Depage during World War I made him well known all over the world and have been extensively described in an article published in the World Journal of Surgery in 20028.

Some important points may be recalled here. As experienced during the Balkan War, Depage would favour the treatment of wounded soldiers as near to the front as

Depage’s excellent contacts with his American and British friends would later help him to obtain important funds for hospital equipment during World War I. When the war broke out in July 1914 Belgium got soon invaded by German troops, so that several temporary hospitals had to be installed to cope with the great number of victims. The Royal Family opened a wing of the Royal Palace to set up an ‘ambulance’, and asked Depage to take the lead of the surgical team. Antoine and Marie Depage were already acquainted with King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth for a number of years. Indeed Depage not only had welcomed Prince Albert at the opening ceremony of the second SIC/ISS congress in 1908, but had spoken him several times when he had assisted Jules Thiriar during the operation of the Prince’s uncle King Leopold II in 1909. Moreover Depage

Queen Elisabeth bandaging the wounded in the hospital ‘L’Océan’ in De Panne, under command of Dr. Depage.

8

See Van Hee 2002.

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possible. Together with the Military Medical Command he encouraged the installation of several Front Surgical Posts and called upon a great number of important surgeons of Belgian Universities and Institutions, not the least Charles Willems, the First President of the SIC/ISS. Moreover from 1916 onwards Depage opened an academic laboratory at the Océan Hospital to which many scientists came to work, to visit or to attend international meetings9.

The Royal Family continued to support Depage in his endeavours. Particularly Queen Elisabeth, being a nurse, helped him in assisting at operations and regularly visited the patients in the Océan hospital as well as in forefront barracks and surgical posts.

In the progressively built premises of the Océan hospital, different wings were devoted to specific hospital departments, important laboratories and radiology rooms.

Here for the first time blood transfusions were performed as a result of the invention by Albert Hustin (1882–1967) of sodium citrate to prevent blood clotting; here too a great workshop was devoted to the construction of artificial limbs after devastated extremities had necessitated amputation; here too the first successful wound treatments were given with irrigation fluids

proposed by Almroth Wright (1861–1947) and by the duo Alexis Carrel (1873–1944) – Henry Dakin (1880–1952). Here finally several operation rooms were active with each four to five operation teams, often working round the clock to treat all victims.

All these medical and surgical teams were organized and supervised by Antoine Depage, who had full command of the entire hospital. As said, during and after the war, Depage got great esteem not only in Belgium but from all over the world, not the least from his colleagues of the International Society of Surgery.

Nevertheless the Great War had induced serious conflicts inside the SIC/ISS organisation. A ‘manifesto’ of 93 German scientists and intellectuals in a newspaper had denied some strong and debatable German military actions in the first months of the war, and together with the exhausting four years of the atrocious warfare had provoked an anti-German resentment in the surgical allied community. The resulting problems needed diplomacy of the secretary general of the SIC/ISS Léopold Mayer (1877–1955) and the Swiss national delegate Fritz de Quervain (1868–1940)10, but finally got resolved. The difficulties inside the ISS/SIC have been covered

in a broad and objective way by Doris Liebermann-Meffert in the Jubilee Book of the centennial of the Society 11. It is however striking that Antoine Depage is never mentioned in this conflict, probably because Depage had resumed his surgical activities in November 1918 and was no longer active as Secretary General of the Society12.

His surgical work in battered Belgium proved prosperous. Confronted with many operations in cancerous patients, he set up a cancer institute in Brussels, together with the well-known Nobel Prize winner Jules Bordet (1870–1961). It was the first such institution in Belgium and proved one of the most effective ever since.

Depage became honoured for his activities during World War I in various cities: in his own country already in December 1918 in the presence of Queen Elisabeth, in the United States in 1919 during the Congress of the American Society of Medicine in Atlantic City, and not the least by the ISS/ SIC during its 5th International Congress in Paris in 1920. This congress was presided by William W. Keen (1837–1932), surgeon of Philadelphia, whose endeavours to internationalize the surgical community had been prominent, even before the foundation of the SIC/ISS13. The presence of Antoine Depage was greatly appreciated by the audience.

Just before the 6th congress of the Society in London in 1923, Antoine Depage had contracted bacterial pneumonia during a touristic trip in Morocco. Back home and scarcely having resumed his surgical activities, he experienced bilateral thrombophlebitis that again kept him at home for several months.

Reunion in De Panne: left : Dr. Depage; in the middle on the stairs Queen Elisabeth, Alexis Carrel and the famous violonist Eugene Ysaye,together between other officials and guests.

Shortly after recovery, a new disease, intestinal obstruction, suddenly broke out.

He was operated by his friend and colleague Jean Verhoogen (1864–1950), equally one of the founders and prominent members of the ISS/SIC who would succeed Charles Willems in 1929 as President of the Society and remain so for 21 years until 1950.

9

12

So was Alexis Carrel an outstanding guest at the meetings.

10 Later Congress President of the ISS/SIC in Madrid in 1932.

11 See Liebermann-Meffert & White pp.171-207.

He had been succeeded by Léopold Mayer in 1912.

13 See Liebermann-Meffert & White p.2.

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References.

Queen Elisabeth and Dr. Depage in the forest of Houthulst after retreat of the German army in 1918.

Depage was treated by Verhoogen with a diverting colostoma and it was decided to postpone definitive treatment till a later date.

However none of the three operations that followed were successful. A first attempt was again made by Verhoogen. A second one was performed by Henri Hartmann (1860–1952) from Paris, again a prominent ISS/SIC member who would become Congress president in Warsaw in 1929.

As this could not conceal the symptoms, a third operation was performed by Jan Schoemaker (1871–1940) in The Hague, once again one of Depage’s friends of the ISS/SIC, who later became Congress President in Cairo in 1935.

It remains a pity that such surgical celebrity had to die from a surgical disease, of which the origin even remains unknown, but most probably may have been an Ogilvie syndrome14.

De Broe L., Liebermann-Meffert D. & Van Hee R. Charles Willems (1859–1930): Belgian Military and Academic Surgeon and First President of the International Society of Surgery. World J.Surg. 2013, 37: 1446–1454.

Depage H. La vie d’Antoine Depage. Bruxelles: La Renaissance du Livre, 1956.

Hartman V. & Van Hee R. Acute colonic pseudoobstruction in vascular patients (Ogilvie syndrome).

Acta Chir.Belg. 2009, 109: 760–762.

Liebermann-Meffert D. & White H. A Century of International Progress and Tradition in Surgery. An illus­ trated History of the International Society of Surgery.

Heidelberg: Kaden Verlag, 2001.

Van Hee R. De evolutie van de heelkunde tijdens de laatste 100 jaar. In: Société Royale Belge de Chirurgie. 1893–1993. Koninklijk Belgisch Genootschap voor Heelkunde. Eds. Van Hee R. & Mendes da Costa P. Centenary Issue of Acta Chirurgica Belgica. Wetteren: Universa Press, 1993.

Van Hee R. The International Surgical Society’s first centennial! Acta Chir.Belg. 2001, 101: 1.

Van Hee R. History of the ISS/SIC: Antoine Depage, one of the founders of the ISS/SIC. World J.Surg.

2002, 26: 1195–1201.

Van Hee R. Depage Antoine. In: ‘Dictionary of Medical Biography’. Eds. W.F.Bynum & H.Bynum. Westport, Conn. & London: Greenwood Press, 2007, Vol. 2, p.409.

Van Hee R. Antoine Depage’s relationship with Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Acta Chir. Belg. 2012, 112: 170–181.

Van Hee R. & Mendes da Costa P. (Eds.) Société Royale Belge de Chirurgie. 1893–1993. Koninklijk Belgisch Genootschap voor Heelkunde. Centenary Issue of Acta Chirurgica Belgica. Wetteren: Universa Press, 1993.

This communication in the ISS/SIC Newsletter remains a tribute to this founding and leading figure of our Society.

Whereas this operation seemed to be curative, Depage nevertheless succumbed five days later on June 10th, 1925.

For the first time in Belgian history a surgeon got a State Funeral, in the presence of a representative of the Royal Family and an overwhelming presence of national and international authorities of the surgical, medical and military world.

Depage had indeed given enormous contributions to surgery and its various specialties.

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF SURGERY (ISS/SIC) Administrative Office Seltisbergerstrasse 16 CH-4419 Lupsingen, Switzerland www.iss-sic.com 14

See Hartman & Van Hee 2009, and Van Hee 2012.1 For a biography on Depage, see Van Hee 2007. See also Depage’s biography, written by his son Henri and published in 1956.

Phone: +41 61 815 96 66 Fax: +41 61 811 47 75 E-Mail: surgery@iss-sic.ch

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The Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand (RCST) and the International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) invite you to attend the

46th World Congress of Surgery August 23 to 27, 2015 Congress President: Prof. Nopadol Wora-Urai, Bangkok Information:

International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) Seltisbergerstrasse 16 CH-4419 Lupsingen, Switzerland Fax: +41 61 811 47 75 www.iss-sic.com www.wcs2015.org

With our best Season’s Greetings Your Administrative Office ISS/SIC Victor Bertschi, Chris Storz, Marianne Bertschi, Anuschka Erb

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